Hariss international of uganda, a leading african producer of mineral water, still and carbonated soft drinks (csds) for the domestic market, recently became the recipient of the first-ever sidel comb

Hariss International receives first-ever Sidel Combi line in East Africa

06/11/13

A decisive factor in Hariss choosing Sidel was the
flexibility of its solution, including the line equipment, services
and also the company's overall business approach. The recent launch
of a Sidel Services centre in nearby Kenya also helped, as did the
existing relationship with Sidel following the previous
installation of a PET line for still water.

The flexibility afforded by the Combi line was a consideration
in the selection process since Hariss will be using it to bottle
CSD's, juices and water under the Riham brand, a well established
brand in Uganda.

Great expectations

Africa is one of the fastest growing economies in the world, and
offers significant growth opportunities for the beverages market.
The continent is forecast to become the world's
second-fastest growing market for liquid dairy products alone, with
demand increasing by 3.5% each year over the next two years, to
approximately 17.3 billion litres. The number of middle-class
consumers with increasing expendable incomes is also growing.
Such consumers are now demanding access to more sophisticated
and internationally recognised products.

Hariss was incorporated in 2005 to cater to this demand by
meeting the needs of the Ugandan foods and beverages market through
quality production. It is expected that over the next five
years, as Ugandan consumers increasingly enjoy beverages in their
homes, and exports and the overall economy grow, the country will
rely less on imported products and move towards those produced
domestically, particularly juices which are recognised for their
purity.

Versatility now a priority

Before the new line was installed at its production facility in
Kampala, Uganda, Hariss had been bottling only still water on its
existing Sidel PET line. It wanted, however, to meet the
increase in local demand, support local agricultural producers, and
gain a manufacturing advantage over its competitors. By
installing the very latest, fully automated aseptic processing
technology, it sought to gain the lead in Uganda's developing food
and beverage industry with higher quality products. The
decision was made to invest in a new PET bottling line. On
this occasion, however, Hariss insisted the new line should be
adaptable to cope with the bottling of different beverages and
products, including juices and CSDs, while anticipating future
capacity requirements.

Following the investment Hariss can now bottle CSDs and
different juices, as well as still water on its new line. Mr.
Andrews Ruben, the Managing Director and CEO of Hariss, explained
why the decision was made to invest in the Sidel line. "When Hariss
decided to go for a new line, first the Chairman, Mr. Yasser K.
Ahmed, and then the Technical Manager, Mr. Hassan Abdelrida,
travelled all over the world to find credible products for the
line. Then, based on extensive and thorough discussions to ensure
our specific needs were accommodated, we finalised the line with
Sidel, electing to go for a capacity of 16,000 bph rather than our
original 8,000bph. "

Working with Sidel

Another decisive factor was Sidel's local presence in East
Africa, where it has been working since 1991. An example of
this local presence is the recent establishment of a local training
programme to enhance the skills of local engineers. Sidel's
latest office is in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi, where
experienced technicians are just an hour's flight to the plants of
most East African customers. This proximity is obviously
vital for local beverage producers and, with spare parts also held
in Nairobi, it all helps to facilitate Sidel's speed of
response.

The input of a true partnership

Mr. Ruben summed up: "Hariss decided to go with Sidel for a
number of reasons, including the flexibility of the solution and
the open, transparent and regular communications towards the
project. Hariss also wishes to express its gratitude to Sidel
and its Kenyan team for all its great and valued input. They
passed on their technical knowledge to the Hariss team, so they
could understand the solution in-depth."